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Chapter: 96

Evidence. Evidence! The evidence I had been searching for was in this kid\'s hands.

After saying those words, Jincheon hesitated and gauged my reaction.

"I wanted to tell you, but I didn\'t have the chance to..."

The excuses continued.

"I didn\'t ask anyone to relay the message in case it was a mistake. So I wanted to see you in person and report it..."

This kid.

To think he was so thoughtful.

"...I apologize."

Perhaps interpreting my silence as disapproval, he suddenly apologized.

I was just a little surprised, that\'s all.

I shook my head, indicating that he didn\'t need to apologize.

If I hadn\'t come to see Jincheon as Commander Heo had suggested, I wouldn\'t have obtained the evidence he had discovered.

It seemed I should listen carefully to what Commander Heo said in the future.

"Did you tell anyone else about this?"

"I haven\'t told anyone."

He even knows how to keep his mouth shut.

Quite commendable, isn\'t he?

I grabbed Jincheon\'s shoulders with both hands. He looked up at me with a slightly tense expression.

I felt like I had become the bad guy. But this kid was also a bad guy, so whatever.

"Shall we have a little chat?"

* * *

We went into a quiet room to avoid being overheard.

Since this kid had overheard a conversation that was not meant to be heard, there was a possibility that someone else could overhear our conversation as well.

For example, bird-brains could eavesdrop.

Wait, Gon had also said he would find evidence, so where was it and what was it doing? My expectations were dashed once again.

"So, what happened? Tell me from the beginning."

Perhaps because I had provided him with a place to talk, Jincheon readily recounted what he had heard.

So, it seemed like he hadn\'t overheard it on purpose.

He had gone near the prison to practice swordsmanship during a time when there were no people around.

And he happened to overhear a conversation between some Wolhan Fortress soldiers.

He seemed to have listened attentively when he heard them mention me. The main topic wouldn\'t have been about me though...

Jincheon said he heard them talking about delivering a key.

"What kind of soldiers were they? What were they wearing?"

"I couldn\'t see them properly. It was dark..."

Since it was a conversation overheard near the prison and involved talk about a key, it was highly likely that they were jailers.

Furthermore, if they mentioned me, they must have been under Son Gye-du\'s command.

However, the problem was that he didn\'t know their exact appearance, including their faces.

How could we find them if we didn\'t know what they looked like...?

"Would you be able to recognize them if you heard their voices?"

Jincheon thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Yes, I think I would be able to."

"Good."

Once we found Son Gye-du\'s accomplice, the rest wouldn\'t be as difficult as directly accusing Son Gye-du. We just needed to interrogate them and get a confession.

That would make things much easier and simpler.

Of course, the bellflower issue wouldn\'t be resolved...

For that, I had no choice but to talk to the Wolhan Fortress Lord one-on-one. I could only hope that the excuse of needing it for the troops would work.

Ah, damn it. Why did things get so complicated?

"Then come out for a moment when I call you."

"Yes?"

"We need to find the owner of the voice you heard."

Jincheon blinked innocently, as if he didn\'t understand.

"I\'ll create an opportunity, so when I call you, come and confirm if those are the soldiers you overheard."

His face brightened.

It wouldn\'t be difficult, but in the end, I was giving him a task, so I didn\'t know why he seemed so happy about it.

"Yes, Your Highness."

What was with that puppy-dog look, like a dog waiting for its owner?

It was shocking to think that this naive-looking kid would become a murderer in the future.

No, wait. Even magical beasts must have had a time when they were young.

Perhaps it wasn\'t so shocking that this kid seemed harmless.

"Then go and get some rest, and come out when I call you."

"Yes, I will do so."

Jincheon bowed his head and left the room.

It seemed he had learned how to greet people in the meantime, and this was probably also taught by Heo Seokgyeom. Or perhaps by a eunuch.

"They were all having fun without me."

* * *

Uncovering Son Gye-du\'s plot was something I could only do when the halls were quiet. Nothing was more important than survival.

As dusk settled, I led the troops, who were lined up and waiting for me, out of the fortress walls.

Even before I appeared, arrows were already being fired from atop the walls.

Arrows flew through the air, drawing splendid trajectories as they rained down on the magical beasts below.

Every time an arrow landed, screams and howls of pain from the magical beasts echoed through the air.

By now, I had grown quite accustomed to this scene, which resembled a living hell. It had reached a point where a place without this tense atmosphere felt more unfamiliar.

"Advance!"

The only time I had ventured beyond the reach of the archers on the walls was when I went to retrieve the body of the missing servant.

Pushing the entire front line beyond the range of the arrows was a proper attempt we were making for the first time today.

The magical beasts roared as people appeared beneath the walls.

A considerable number of soldiers showed signs of tension at the deafening roars. It was difficult to overcome the intimidation with willpower alone.

"Don\'t falter!"

My shout echoed through the darkness. The faces of the soldiers, illuminated by torches, were filled with determination.

Arrows and blades rained down upon the massive bodies of the magical beasts.

I led the soldiers forward, taking down the magical beasts one by one. Mounted on my horse, I slashed and stabbed at the magical beasts on the ground with my spear.

The blade quickly became stained with blood.

The battlefield, covered in blood and sweat, gradually descended into chaos. Pieces of flesh from the mangled magical beasts splattered into the air.

The troops gradually advanced. As a certain distance was created, additional troops were deployed from within the fortress, as planned.

At that moment, the ground shook once.

Thud-

At the clear tremor, everyone\'s eyes turned in the same direction at once. Everyone held their breath and searched for the source of the vibration.

And everyone found it. There stood a magical beast of a form they had never seen before.

It was the largest and tallest of all the magical beasts they had encountered so far.

It was so massive that its shape was clearly visible even in the darkness, and its presence was equally powerful.

The magical beast\'s body was covered in scales that shone like black iron fragments.

It even felt as if the air around it was growing colder from the energy emanating from it.

The moment they faced the magical beast, everyone took a step back.

I took a deep breath. I could feel the disgusting stench of blood and the unique smell of magical beasts filling my lungs.

"Your Highness!"

Someone called out to me. It was a voice from the top of the wall. It was one of the commanders belonging to Wolhan Fortress.

"Take shelter!" The commander shouted.

Take shelter? What did that mean all of a sudden? We had been fighting without wavering until now.

As I thought that, the black magical beast rose up and swung its foreleg.

It was an unimaginably fast movement. One of the soldiers standing in front of it was sent flying by the swing of its foreleg.

No, perhaps ripped apart would be a more accurate description. Or crushed.

The gruesome sight immediately unsettled the entire army. The soldiers\' screams erupted simultaneously, and the morale in the air plummeted.

"Take shelter, Your Highness!"

"Prince Ikwon!"

Voices shouting from the wall continued. I understood the reason for their calls to retreat. I had just witnessed it with my own eyes.

However, I couldn\'t bring myself to flee.

"Maintain formation!"

"————!"

The black magical beast roared. Its roar violently shook the air.

It was as if it was tearing through the air itself. Its red eyes glowed.

I swallowed hard and gripped my sword tightly.

"Fire!"

A shout from the wall, signaling the archers to prepare, reached my ears. Immediately afterward, a volley of arrows was unleashed. A shower of arrows poured down, piercing the darkness.

However, it seemed that arrows were ineffective against the black magical beast. The arrows that struck its jet-black scales bounced off without penetrating.

The arrows had almost no effect on it. Were those scales not just iron-like in appearance, but also in actual strength?

"Advance!"

The soldiers attempted to advance. The magical beast roared again.

"————!"

An overwhelming sense of intimidation, incomparable to any magical beast we had encountered before. Its primal killing intent made my skin prickle.

"————!"

"Kyaaaak!"

The magical beast let out a long, ferocious roar and swung its tail like a whip. Several soldiers were swept off their feet and fell.

When it swung its tail a second time, the soldiers hurriedly retreated, but it was difficult to even help those who had been attacked and bring them back to the fortress.

"It\'s withstanding that barrage of arrows...! "

A voice of lament was heard nearby. It was true.

The fact that it endured the rain of arrows without showing any signs of pain meant that ordinary attacks wouldn\'t work.

Driving it away was probably the best option at the moment.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaak!"

The black magical beast bit into a fallen soldier, lifted him into the air, and swallowed him whole.

Crunch-

With the sound of bones breaking, even the soldier\'s scream vanished without a trace.

Just allowing this creature to remain here would cause immense damage. The soldiers, already frozen in fear, were trying to retreat.

"Maintain formation!"

The desperate voice of the commander could be heard. I hesitated for a moment, then drew the sword from my waist, tightened my grip on it, and started walking.

"Y-Your Highness!"

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness! Please don\'t move!"

I heard voices calling me from behind, but I had to ignore them. The most urgent thing was to drive that black magical beast away from this battlefield.

Thanks to it, the other magical beasts seemed to have lost their will to attack, overwhelmed by its killing intent, but that black magical beast alone would cause far more casualties.

"It\'s dangerous!"

The Wolhan Fortress Lord’s voice from the top of the wall reached my ears. It wasn\'t a very loud voice, but it was clear enough.

But dangerous? I knew that.

I kicked the flanks of my warhorse. However, perhaps frightened, the horse, which would normally have bolted forward, remained motionless.

No matter how well-trained a warhorse was, it seemed there was nothing it could do against its primal fear.

Without hesitation, I jumped off the saddle.

"Your Highness!"

And I walked towards the black magical beast.